Hey everyone! I'm a developer working on various software projects, and about a month ago I started working on a launcher for downloading and launching games so I could play them with my friends.

I previously made a guide here about running OnlineFix games on Linux, which ended up getting a pretty good response, so I thought I'd try making something useful for the community again:
https://www.reddit.com/r/LinuxCrackSupport/comments/1cw7v8j/onlinefix_a_complete_guide_to_running_games_with/

It started because a few of my friends didn't want to buy some niche games on Steam like Meccha Chameleon, Super Battle Golf, etc. We'd probably play them a couple of times and then never touch them again anyway) I wasn't really a fan of Hydra because the games don't get properly installed automatically and you still have to do a bunch of stuff manually. At that point it was just easier to download a torrent.

btw, if you use Hydra, I also made the FreeTP catalog for it:
https://gitlab.com/BadKiko/freetp-hydra-link

But over time the project kinda grew way beyond what I originally planned. It ended up becoming a launcher with a plugin system, automatic installation, updates, game collections and a bunch of other stuff.

At first there was only the FreeTP plugin, but then I looked at projects like Steamidra and made my own Steam plugin. It can download games directly from Steam servers and update them with one click, pretty much like Steam itself. It also doesn't modify Steam DLLs like Steamidra does.

The launcher also automatically applies an online fix to the game so you can play with friends. So far it has worked pretty well for the games I've tested, pretty much everything I've tried launched normally. The fix itself is based on FreeTP.

Download speeds also seem to be pretty much the same as Steam, without peers or torrent-related issues.

Anyway, this post is mostly just to get the launcher out there, see what people think and maybe find some people willing to download it and test it)

The whole thing is written in Qt with a Material 3 theme, with a lot of help from AI. It's just a hobby project though, so bugs, crashes and random weird shit are definitely possible. I picked Qt mostly because that's what I work with at my job too)

A few screenshots so you can get an idea of the UI and what the launcher can do.

https://preview.redd.it/22lkyi130dih1.png?width=1450&format=png&auto=webp&s=3341fbfa2c9ede18b2c7a65ed12deb4653639e7a

https://preview.redd.it/llqs0o040dih1.png?width=1450&format=png&auto=webp&s=045727923a1c5c9ae33e5d2d179dfcc292676bc7

https://preview.redd.it/s4gw27b50dih1.png?width=1450&format=png&auto=webp&s=0baf4823e258707fd05ebac0dc7333aca125a127

If you actually made it this far and want to test it, there are builds for both Windows and Linux:
https://github.com/BadKiko/Arachnel/releases

I try to test Linux builds as much as I can, but unfortunately I don't always have the time. Didn't want to leave Linux users out though, since I used to be one myself)))

If you find any bugs or have ideas for improvements, feel free to open an issue.

Also, Windows antivirus REALLY doesn't like the launcher for some reason:
https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/a6ae0bb1a0507b90282d936f135714af49f10aba9afd51b992421542ec2f86d1?nocache=1

https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/5545531d77a450ca1e8732b6d06b39890e44d6415c443e07305e74869693c720?nocache=1

I honestly have no idea how to fix this anymore. I've tried different installers and I'm using Inno Setup now, but Windows still doesn't give a shit and keeps flagging it. I guess it's probably because of the automatic updater or something. Seems like the only real solution is paying $300 for a code signing certificate lol

Anyway, if you're interested, give it a try. If not, feel free to roast it ❤️

Hey everyone, just wanted to ask the community something.

Do people really look down on open source projects if they're built with AI, even if the developer actually understands the code, reviews everything, and makes sure the quality is good?

With how common AI has become, it sometimes feels like it doesn't even matter what you build anymore. As soon as people find out AI was involved, some immediately start criticizing the project without even looking at the end result.

Personally, I think AI just lets you build things faster and take on bigger, more complex ideas. It's still up to you to understand what you're shipping and make sure it's actually good.

Just curious what everyone thinks.

Hi everyone!

For the past several months I've been working on an open-source launcher called Arachnel: https://github.com/BadKiko/Arachnel

(This project was built with the help of AI, and this post was also written and translated with AI assistance. I've read through the entire post and actively review all the code in the repository. If that bothers you, I won't try to convince you otherwise.)

https://i.redd.it/nuua7yznbffh1.gif

https://preview.redd.it/o80qjjjobffh1.png?width=1440&format=png&auto=webp&s=63a7771a032596e7c08cb013b80fbaa144e6a693

https://preview.redd.it/d52l7sxobffh1.png?width=1440&format=png&auto=webp&s=dd349b5960f78db86bfc4e1ce41d63eefc4aa6f2

Arachnel wasn't built from scratch just for the sake of an idea. It's the result of everything I learned on my previous project, Steam Online Fix Launcher (https://github.com/BadKiko/steam-online-fix-launcher), plus ideas inspired by existing launchers like Hydra.

Over time it became clear I wanted something more flexible and easier to extend - especially around how a game is actually installed, not only how it is downloaded.

Plugin architecture

Instead of hardcoding every installer and every game source, Arachnel is built around source plugins.

The launcher itself does not know how to install a game. Each source is a plugin with its own pipeline: download, silent installers, extraction, patches, Online Fix, post-install, library entry, launch hints.

A new source = a new .arach, not a core rewrite. A plugin can own the download itself (owns_download) - that is how the Steam plugin talks to Steam CDN instead of going through the launcher's torrent engine.

Main source today: Steam plugin

The main plugin right now is Steam, a Steam source for Arachnel.

It downloads games directly from Steam CDN - the same content Steam itself uses. No torrent. No peers. No waiting for seeders. No third-party repack mirrors on this path.

What you get:

• native download from Steam CDN;
• automatic Online Fix / SteamFix embedding after install;
• install → library → Play with no manual patching;
• on Linux - the same Proton + redistributables path described below.

From the user's side it feels close to Steam: pick a game, click Install, wait for the download, play. Online Fix is applied for you - no need to hunt for a separate fix archive.

Other sources exist too (FreeTP, Hydra-compatible JSON catalogs), but Steam CDN + auto Online Fix is the flagship scenario.

Linux: game dependencies like Steam

On Linux, Arachnel does more than "run the .exe under Proton".

For games with a Steam App ID it can resolve redistributables the same way Steam does (VC++ runtimes, DirectX, and other runtime depots tied to the app), and install whatever is missing into that game's Proton prefix / runtime container.

That used to be a constant pain for me - having to fetch game deps like VC++ myself.

What else Arachnel can do

Catalog

• Multiple sources (Steam plugin, FreeTP, Hydra-compatible games.json)
• Search, sort, grid / list
• Filters by install kind and Online Fix
• Steam covers / descriptions cached on disk
• Extended fields: DLC / add-ons, install kind, Steam App ID, Online Fix flags

Library

• Installed games, "Playing now", update badges
• Remove / move between folders and drives
• Per game: launch args, exe override, auto-update, Online Fix on/off, Proton, runtime container

Downloads & install

• Steam CDN via the Steam plugin (main path - no peers)
• Magnet torrents via libtorrent when a source uses them (FreeTP / Hydra feeds)
• Plugin: download → auto-install → Play
• Optional DLC / add-on picker
• Game updates from the catalog; optional auto-update
• Arachnel self-updates (Setup.exe / AppImage)

Storage & UI

• Multiple library roots / drives, separate downloads folder
• Dark / light Material 3, EN / RU (Weblate)
• Windows: custom title bar + Setup
• Linux: AppImage

Online Fix (from SOFL)

• Detect SteamFix / Online Fix in an install
• Toggle Online Fix per game without reinstalling
• Auto-embed from the Steam plugin on install

Arachnel vs Hydra

Hydra is excellent software (profiles, achievements, cloud, Big Picture, etc.). Arachnel is not copying that platform - the focus is install, Steam CDN, Online Fix, and Linux.

Launcher	Hydra	Arachnel
Flagship install	Shared model, often torrents	Steam CDN + source plugins
Peers / seeders	Usually required	Not needed on the Steam path - direct CDN
Finish install	Often manual (folder / installer / fix)	Plugin: Install → Play
Online Fix	Not a focus	Auto-embed + per-game toggle
Linux deps	Proton / UMU launch	Proton-GE + VC++ / DirectX / runtime in prefix
Game updates	Depends on the source	Like Steam - no full re-download from scratch
Sources	Shared model	Plugin SDK (.arach), no core fork
Hydra catalogs	Their feeds	Compatible: games.json + plugins on top
Multiple drives	Basic	Multiple libraries, move between them
Stack / RAM	Electron (~700 MB)	Native Qt / QML (~200 MB)
Cloud / achievements / profiles	Strength	Not a goal (yet)

In short: Hydra is the big platform launcher. Arachnel is a light native one aimed at Steam CDN + Online Fix + Linux dependencies - click Install, play.

Hi everyone!

For the past several months, I've been working on an open-source launcher called Arachnel:

https://github.com/BadKiko/Arachnel

https://preview.redd.it/asuhheni3fdh1.png?width=1440&format=png&auto=webp&s=e8902fc76fef0a4c01ce887776db5c87bbe03ca0

Arachnel wasn't built from scratch as a random idea. It's the result of everything I learned while working on my previous project, Steam Online Fix Launcher, combined with ideas inspired by existing launchers like Hydra.

Over time, I realized I wanted something more flexible and easier to extend.

Instead of hardcoding support for every installer and every game source, Arachnel is built around a plugin architecture.

The launcher itself doesn't know how to install a game. Every game source is implemented as a plugin, and each plugin defines its own installation workflow.

A plugin can, for example:

• download a game from its source;
• silently run installers;
• extract archives (such as OnlineFix releases);
• copy or patch files;
• execute post-install actions;
• add the game to the library;
• and support entirely new sources without requiring changes to the launcher itself.

The goal is to make support for new sources as simple as writing a plugin instead of modifying the launcher's core.

Thanks to this architecture, Arachnel can provide a true one-click installation experience.

Instead of manually extracting archives, launching installers, applying patches, copying files, or installing OnlineFix, the user simply clicks Install.

Everything else is handled automatically by the source plugin. It knows exactly how to install a game from its source-whether that means downloading files, extracting archives, running installers silently, applying patches, performing post-install steps, or adding the game to the library.

The goal is to make every supported source feel the same from the user's perspective: click Install, wait a few minutes, and start playing.

Arachnel is also a native C++ desktop application with a Material 3 interface, designed with Linux as a first-class platform from day one.

Now to the reason I'm making this post.

I've recently been experimenting with a different idea.

What if torrent-based games could be downloaded directly from Steam's interface?

I'll attach a few screenshots of the prototype.

https://preview.redd.it/fa3aa81s2fdh1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=3dbd602925364f292875c0d7f374957f29f35ea7

https://preview.redd.it/wvsr43ts2fdh1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=fc638c3eaedffdc252ae7ed3bb984b8ae3985b21

https://preview.redd.it/v1djiijt2fdh1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=973bb825c63d67bc8f9eddea7071fc0957c58bd2

Before I spend a lot more time developing it, I'd really like to hear what the community thinks.

• Would you actually use something like this?
• Would modifying your Steam client be a deal breaker?
• Or would you rather keep Steam untouched and use a separate launcher?
• What concerns would you have? Stability? Security? Account safety? Something else?

I'm genuinely interested in your feedback. I'd rather validate the idea with the community now than spend months building a feature that nobody ends up wanting.